Natural Places in the Philadelphia Area

Branch of the Tacony Creek

Things to Do in Philadelphia: Natural Places in the Philadelphia Area

Here is a list of some of the special Philadelphia natural places that I write about in my nature journal blog. This is not of list of all the natural places in Philly, but they ones I have written about.

Find a Natural Place or Park

Natural Places in and Around Philadelphia

Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Nature Preserve, New Hope, PAhttp://www.bhwp.org/
This 134-acre wildflower preserve is a true treasure. Walking the trails in any season, yields discoveries of blooming native plants. There are over 800 species of native plants in the woodlands, meadows and watercourses.

City Hall Observation Deck
Climb to the top of Philadelphia’s City Hall as view the wide. flat Coastal Plain that the City of Brotherly Love sits in. Tower Observation Deck open Mon – Fri, 9:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. For tours and tower admission go to Room 121. http://www.visitphilly.com/history/philadelphia/city-hall/

Conowingo Dam, Maryland (Cecil and Harford counties, 5 miles south of Pennsylvania border)
(to observe wintering Bald Eagles)
* Follow Rt. 1 South into Maryland (from the Blue Route, Rt 476, take exit 5 to US 1 South)
* Rt. 1 will cross over the Conowingo Dam which crosses the Susquehanna River
* Take the 1st left hand turn (Shufield Rd.)
* Watch for the next left turn, which is a sharp left, this road will take you down to the River
Trip time, about 1.5 hours
There are parking spaces, port-a-potties, and plenty of viewing spaces. A forested trail is to the right of the entrance where many species of birds can be found. Arrive in the morining to see the Bald Eagles fishing.

Crosswicks Audubon Sanctuary, Jenkintown, PA
http://www.wyncoteaudubon.org/crswicks.htm
These 13 wooded acres are crisscrossed by meandering streams. It is a haven for birds. The sanctuary is managed by the Wyncote Audubon Chapter.

Fairmount Park, Philadelphia
http://www.fairmountpark.org/EnvironmentMain.asp
The natural areas of Fairmount Park are found in the Cobbs Creek, Fairmount, Pennypack, Poquessing, Tacony, and Wissahickon watersheds, as well as in Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park in the Delaware Estuary. Over half of the parks 9,200 acres are natural with streams, woods, meadows and wetlands.

Houston Meadow (sometimes called Andorra Meadow), Roxborough, Philadelphia
http://www.fairmountpark.org/WissahickonValleyPark.asp
Part of the Wissahickon Valley Park of the Fairmount Park system. This part of the park is the most easily reachable from Ridge Ave. It is located down the street form the Andorra Shopping Center and behind Houston Playground. Cool natural meadow habitat with butterflies, raptors, and native plants. The meadow is located in the Piedmont region.

John Heinz National Wildlife Refugee at Tinicum, South Philadelphiahttp://www.fws.gov/heinz/index.html
The last remaining freshwater tidal marsh in Philadelphia. Over 300 species of birds visit the refugee and over 80 species nest there. The refugee will consist of over 1200 acres when land acquisition is completed. The refugee is located on the Atlantic Coastal Plain.

Neshaminy State Park, Bucks County, PAhttp://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/neshaminy.aspx
Tidal Marsh Natural Area: This 71-acre state park natural area encompasses part of the freshwater intertidal zone along the shores of the Delaware River and Neshaminy Creek. This area contains wetlands and unique plants.

Pinelands National Reserve, New Jersey Pinelands Commissionhttp://www.state.nj.us/pinelands/index.shtml
This important ecological region is 1.1 million acres in size and occupies 22% of New Jersey’s land area. It is the largest body of open space on the Mid-Atlantic seaboard between Richmond and Boston. The habitats consist of bogs, marshes, streams and swamps. The Pinelands are in the outer Atlantic Coastal Plain.

Ridley Creek State Park, Delaware County, PAhttp://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/ridleycreek.aspx
Ridley Creek State Park encompasses over 2,606 acres of Delaware County woodlands and meadows. The gently rolling terrain of the park, bisected by Ridley Creek, is only 16 miles from center city Philadelphia.

Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, Roxborough, Philadelphiawww.schuylkillcenter.org
The center is one of the first urban environmental centers in the US. The 340 acres and three miles of trails include meadows, ponds, wetlands, and forest. The center is located in the Piedmont region. The Center provides workshops and classes for the public and for teachers (including ACT 48 credits). A wildlife rehabilitation clinic is located on the grounds.
8480 Hagy’s Mill Road, Philadelphia, PA 19128, 215.482.7300

Tyler State Park, Bucks County, PA http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/tyler.aspx
The park consists of 1,711 acres. Three main habitats dominate Tyler State Park, forests, fields and wetlands. The mixed hardwood forests are composed of oaks, maples and walnuts and are great habitat for forest birds like warblers, tanagers, thrushes and vireos.

Wissahickon Valley Park, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, PA
http://www.fairmountpark.org/WissahickonValleyPark.asp
An one billion year old valley in the northwest section of Philadelphia. The valley is located in the Piedmont region.
Wissahickon Environmental Center at the Andorra Natural Area
Tree House, 300 Northwestern Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19118